Food Safety and Quality Manager - FSQ/FSQA Manager, HACCP, SQF

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Food Safety & Quality Manager to oversee all site level food safety, quality, and regulatory programs within our manufacturing plant. This leader is responsible for maintaining a robust, audit ready Quality Management System, serving as the facility's SQF Practitioner, and ensuring full compliance with HACCP, regulatory standards, customer expectations, and internal policies.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop FSQA Team Members to strengthen food safety awareness, technical skills, and accountability.
• Provide performance management, training, and hands-on direction for the FSQA department.
• Manage the sites SQF Quality System, including program updates, implementation, verification, and annual reviews.
• Serve as the facility's subject matter expert for regulatory compliance, customer specifications, and internal quality standards.
• Investigate and resolve food safety and quality issues using risk based tools and root cause methodologies.
• Establish systems to trend quality and safety performance, analyze data, and lead improvement strategies.
• Partner with cross functional teams to embed food safety into daily operations and long term initiatives.
• Function as the primary onsite contact for USDA FSIS and other regulatory or certification bodies.
• Ensure readiness for internal audits, customer visits, and third party assessments.
• Report regularly to Senior Leadership on compliance metrics, product performance, and continuous improvement progress.

Requirements

• Associate degree or higher in a relevant field required.
• 5-10+ years of leadership experience in Food Safety & Quality within a high volume, highly regulated food processing/production industry.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Microbiology, Animal Science, or a related discipline.
• More than 5 years of supervisory experience in FSQA in a USDA environment.
• Experience overseeing on-site QA Laboratories and instrumentation (Microbiology/Microbiological Testing, Chemistry).
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification DESIRED (or ability to achieve certification shortly).
• SQF certification DESIRED (or ability to achieve certification shortly).

Skills & Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with all levels of the organization.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; bilingual Spanish/English language skills are always a plus.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and digital document management systems.
• HACCP certification required; strong experience in preventive controls and risk based program management.
• Strong analytical skills with hands-on experience in process control, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement tools.
• Proven leadership skills in a high volume food manufacturing environment.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision benefits
• Life and disability insurance
• 401k participation
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off